Firefly
by R-A-W-R-I-E
Summary: They were poles apart from each other. He was, after all, the son of the "White Fang", and didn't have time for the girl, whose energetic, vibrant personality would only be a hindrance to the village in the times of war. Twenty years later, she reappears after an unexplained, unnoticed absence. Needless to say, the bright light no longer shined from her eyes. Kakashi x OC
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. So this is a completely new story (not a revised version of any previous fanfictions) and I hope you like it. Please leave some reviews, or follow/favourite it and I shall try to update this on a weekly basis. I'll only be updating ONE of my stories a week, not them both because of university and whatnot. I hope you all understand.**

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Akiko Hitomi was different. Unlike her peers, one of whom was none other than Kakashi Hatake, she wasn't made for the battlefield. As the silver-haired boy excelled in every task, the fiery red-head stumbled. When Kakashi passed by villagers, the words "strong", "legendary" and "formidable" were thrown around continuously. He was, after all, the son of the great White Fang.

Akiko's presence brought delight and joy to those she surrounded herself with. The girl cared little for conflict or destruction, and instead dedicated her time to humour the villagers with her tricks. Every evening in the bar, she would amuse regulars with her ability to manipulate the contents of their drinks, creating all sorts of shapes and figures. From watching the young girl so expertly control the liquids, one might be surprised to hear that instead of advancing in all her classes, she was failing miserably.

These tricks, despite displaying such great control of chakra, could not be adapted to make bigger formations. She simply became overwhelmed when brought to a much larger body of water, failing to make anything more than a ripple when she tried to adapt what she knew. As a result, she was only able to watch as her peers graduated one-by-one, including the brilliant Kakashi, who finished first out of the entire class. Naturally.

The new genin joined Team Minato, along with Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara. Akiko could only watch from afar as the group took turns to spar one another. Their training was relentless. Kakashi was relentless. It was during those moments she spent observing the new genin that she realised just how fantastic he was. She would be lying if she said she wasn't envious of the way he so easily avoided oncoming attacks, and the way he so easily took advantage of the split second of carelessness the exact moment after the opponent's failed attack. If she didn't know better, Akiko could have sworn the whole thing was choreographed. But then, that's what was expected from the son of the Konoha White Fang.

The boy was an example of a legend. He was a rarity. But he wasn't anything to aspire to. There was nothing to relate to in him. No ordinary man could even begin to match up to this mere child. There was no point even trying.

Her train of thought was cut short as she heard Minato's voice, announcing the end of the session. Akiko watched silently as the prodigy passed her, with his eyes cast downwards. And that was that. There was no point even making a remark on the excellence of his performance. He already knew.

Whatever it was that prompted her next action was a mystery to her, but Akiko quickly chased after Kakashi, jumping in front of him. For a moment she felt almost paralysed. She stood wordlessly as she watched him through the strands of her long crimson hair that was thrown in front of her face when she suddenly stopped in the boy's path.

"Congratulations on becoming a genin, Kakashi." She stammered a little as she spoke, feeling quite nervous at the thought of standing in front of such a remarkable shinobi. Too nervous to look him in the eyes, she focussed those bright, scarlet red eyes to the ground. What came next, however, was truly heart-wrenching.

Without even lifting his steady gaze from the ground, Kakashi just continued past her. In silence.

Her chest instantly tightened at his response. The boy was so cold, and so distant. She turned her head to demand a form of acknowledgement, but he was already out of sight. Akiko simply couldn't react. She didn't know how to. She had been rejected plenty of times, but never had someone openly just ignored her like that. With her eyes rammed shut, she tried desperately to stop the hurt and bewildered tears from falling. It was useless. A stream of sadness fell down her cheek as the beads rolled from the corner of her eyes.

For next few moments, she couldn't move. She was paralysed to the spot, helplessly weeping for reasons she could not comprehend. Even though Kakashi had always been so far ahead of her academically, he was still the same age. They were still peers. His complete indifference towards her hit her harder than anything in her world had ever had.

That afternoon, Akiko wandered aimlessly through the village, passing by the various compounds and homes. She passed several normal civilians with their children at their sides, all adorning wide, adoring smiles as they talked. Every time she saw such happy families, a number of emotions washed over her, making her stomach turn and tighten.

Her parents died before she could properly walk, so any memories she had of them were hugely distorted by the world around her. She so desperately wanted to have a happy memory of them that she would often, unknowingly, change her perception of the reality with simple, childish and wishful reconstructions. It was almost like a defence mechanism of sorts. By believing that she once was as joyous and playful as the people she passed by in the streets, she could comfort herself and feel happy for them, rather than resentment.

Perhaps this mentality was the sole reason for her bright and energetic demeanour. Despite being knocked down countless times in life, she was always able to jump back onto her feet and fight back with even more life and determination. She was unbreakable. Like her name suggested, Akiko Hitomi was the sparkle in the village's eye.

The notion of war was fresh in the minds of the inhabitants, and not even the strong drinks that they filled themselves up with could distract them. The girl was like a beacon of light, shining from the inside out, instilling a sense of faith in the men that frequented the bars every evening. No matter their concerns, for a couple of hours each evening, those troubled men were freed from their pain and worries.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N. Nothing like a bit of light-hearted reading. I finished it tonight and was going to upload it on Monday or something, as I planned to... but I just got so excited that I had to do it now. This is the end of her childhood, so after this we shall skip straight ahead to when the series starts. Oh, and because this was early, I won't be updating until NEXT MONDAY (09/25/2013). **

**But if you guys review it, it might be early :3 (just saying!). **

**Dark themes and blood ahead.**

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Akiko was not even close to graduating when her eighth birthday approached. Yet, Kakashi had not only graduated before her, but just a year later he was promoted to chunin. She simply couldn't believe it – this was something she wanted more than anything else in the world, and she was nowhere near getting it. It was brutally unfair.

All the crimson-haired child could do was watch as her peers displayed their new forehead protectors proudly as they left the examination room. One by one, smiling faces emerged from the doors before proudly showing off their prize. Of course Akiko wasn't the only one in her class to fail the exam, but she _was_ the only person to fail her classes three times in a row. Despite this, her optimism never faltered.

Today, especially, she was determined to make sure she had a good day. Straight after her classes, she rushed out of the doors, and wandered through the village heading straight for the Dango Shop. She simply couldn't resist the temptation of something sweet. Akiko always treated herself to this once a year, straight after class, without fail. It was almost like tradition for her.

With her dango skewered neatly onto a stick, the girl paid and left before taking small, thoughtful bites, wondering just how to spend the rest of her day. She knew Kakashi would probably be finished with his training by now and, if he wasn't, she wouldn't mind waiting for him. Besides, she had finally perfected one of her water-style techniques and was eager to show him.

For as long as she could remember, Akiko wasn't even worthy enough to stand in his shadow. That right was reserved for only a handful of people. A small handful. Akiko sprinted down the road to where the Third Training Ground was located knowing that was where most of the sessions took place for the younger-than-most chuunin. Sure enough, Kakashi, Obito and Rin were training with Minato-sensei: the Yellow Flash, as he was also known.

Obito was the first to see her, and instantly flung both of his arms into the air as he called her. "Happy birthday, Akiko-chan!" the boy grinned widely as he rushed over to her side and yanked her into a hug. She should have expected this from the Uchiha, who was always overjoyed to see her – but she was completely unprepared. As the boy wrapped his arms around her, she completely lost her train of thought and the last dango fell to the ground.

Akiko swore she could hear Kakashi roll his eyes. She smiled politely and pushed Obito away after a long enough embrace. "Hey, uh, thanks Obito-sama," she replied with a smile, though was slightly disappointed at losing her last sweet. It was normal for her to address most people with that honorific… even Kakashi, who was both the same age as her and a former peer. Obito looked down at the ground, and immediately picked up the dropped dumpling, handing it over to Akiko with the most apologetic look on his face. But it was impossible to stay irked at the older boy – not only because it wasn't in her nature to dwell on things, but because Obito was genuinely the kindest and most sincere boy she knew. There was no way he meant to upset anyone, which just made her even fonder of him.

"So what did you get for your birthday this year?" Obito asked, as if it was only them on the grounds. Of course his total disregard for his team infuriated Kakashi, who coolly pointed out they were still in the middle of training. Obito ignored him.

Akiko grinned, shaking her head a little at it all. "You should continue with your training, Obito-sama… I didn't mean to intrude. As for your question though, well… I haven't got anything. I mean, it's not really what I do… normally the land-lord and I just have a special feast to celebrate the day with the usual customers and the land-lord's friends." She explained, and nervously smiled in response to the boy's shocked expression. "But I did get this dango… I get one every year. It's tradition." She said, as she looked down at the dirtied food.

Kakashi huffed and walked over, followed closely by Rin who wanted to make sure neither of the boys fought… again. "What is it that you came for? We don't have time for the likes of _you_. Unlike some, we actually have to train." His expression was hard, and impassive. His words were carefully chosen and they hurt more than physical contact ever could. Akiko couldn't figure out why it pained her so much to hear those words come from his mouth. Maybe it was because he was still only three months older than her and yet spoke to her like she was years below him. Or perhaps it was because of her hopeless, unexplainable infatuation with the boy that made the chilling sound of his voice sting as though each word was hand-coated in poison. She didn't know the answer and, in that moment, her entire reason for seeing the great son of the "White Fang" was forgotten.

Obito reached out for the girl, but she just pushed his hand away as she ran off, not even sure where she was heading. All she knew was that she could still feel his cold, emotionless gaze penetrating her heart. It was insane to think that he would ever change his mind about her. After three years, she thought she'd be over it – she hoped it was just a phase that could be grown out of.

Soon the voices of Obito and Kakashi were gone, and she knew that she was far enough away that he wouldn't see or hear her spluttering; holding back tears. Ever since that day when Kakashi so bluntly ignored her, she found herself out of control when it came to her emotions. It was as though the wall she'd been building by hand for so long was suddenly demolished in such a way, that any hopes of its resurrection were shattered along with it. And since then, no amount of willpower could hold back her tears from showing themselves to the world. She was, undeniably, the most pathetic example of a kunoichi.

That evening, once no more tears could be shed, she returned to the bar, happy with the knowledge that the feast and the merry voices would allow her to forget about everything today. She could already taste each tender piece of meat on her tongue, and the aromatic smells of the fresh vegetables were welcomed to take over all other senses. Nothing, not even Kakashi Hatake, the great "White Fang" son, could spoil this feast.

But she was wrong… on both accounts.

Akiko knocked and entered the bar, feeling the heavy atmosphere weigh down on her head and shoulders. It was almost a struggle to walk.

There was no welcoming smells coming from the kitchen. Nor were there any delighted faces to greet her as they usually did when she arrived every evening. It was like nobody had been in all day. Dust had settled on the bar top, enveloping the once-pristine brass taps, giving off a very peculiar, unworldly feeling. She felt strangely uneasy in the empty space.

On one occasion, Akiko remembered, four years ago, after her first day at the academy, the land-lord threw a surprise party for her – to celebrate. It was something she, of course, wasn't expecting. However, there was still a lively feel in the bar, more-so than usual, which prompted Akiko to wonder what was going on.

Her land-lord was particularly bad at surprises. As a result of living in the bar, there were always so many people to talk to. And because many of them already knew and well acquainted with Akiko, it was hard for him to keep his ideas to himself. Sometimes, he would plan out these surprises months in advance, and simply couldn't contain his excitement. He'd have to share it with his trusted regulars. But of course, after a few drinks, no secret was safe and eventually Akiko would be casually informed of everything. However, she loved this man as if he was her own father, and knew that he took great pleasure in seeing her look of happy disbelief when he presented her with a small, neatly-wrapped box on days that were of no significance to either of them.

Akiko found herself smiling softly at those fond memories before she snapped out of her daze. This was no surprise. And if it was, he had done a much better job of keeping it a secret this time. However, she needed to find out where everybody was.

The double doors behind the bar led to the small kitchen, which was also empty. However, a muffling noise could be heard from outside the fire exit. The two voices were strangely familiar, and she knew that one of them was the land-lord.

Just as she ventured closer to the door, she was suddenly hurled back as a deafening explosion of sharp, white lights and a thunderous applause of screaming birds blew the door off of its hinges.

She shouted as loud as she could, wanting whoever that was to get away from her land-lord that instant. Quickly, she pushed herself from the ground and sprinted blindly towards the door. Everything around her was blurred from the light and all she could see was the two shadows outside the door.

The light that was reflected off of the full moon lit up one of the two faces before her – her land-lord. There was a long moment of silence and what looked like… tears? The man's cheeks were damp from what Akiko assumed was from the tears. Why was he crying? She was frozen, only able to watch as a drop – a strikingly bright red drop – oozed from the corners of his mouth, leaving a very clear trail down his chin, before falling onto his black shirt. Her gaze fell down, looking at the cloth and she quickly clapped her hands to her mouth.

There, right where his stomach should be was a gaping, bloody hole. She couldn't move. She couldn't process this at all.

She tried to scream for him to get away, before those screams turned to hoarse cries as she fell, like the lifeless man in front of her, onto the ground.

Akiko clutched frantically at the man's still body, begging him to get up. She covered the gaping wound with both hands, but the amount of blood loss was irreparable. The man choked a little, before spitting out blood that was, ever so slowly, creeping up his throat. His mouth began to move, uttering weak, painful words and Akiko gasped as she crawled over to his head, watching horrified as the pupils of his eyes then rolled up into the back of his head. His slowly-beating heart stopped and the thick, crimson fluid filled his mouth, then seeped out from the corners.

For what must have been the greatest loss of her life, it shocked even her that not a tear fell from her eyes as she watched the man die before her. Her body stiffened, fighting the courage to look at the brute responsible for her land-lord's slaughter.

"You have some nerve to still be standing over him… taunting him with your life still intact," she hissed, curling her hands into fists, gripping the blood-drenched shirt, but the girl was powerless to do anything more. Her gaze was fixed on the body, immobilised by the shock of all of this.

Finally, she blinked, and turned her head only to see a masked figure wordlessly form a hand-sign. Her muscles suddenly relaxed and she collapsed over the corpse, trying to fight this unwelcome urge to sleep.

The last she remembered seeing of the murderer was the flash of silver-grey hair as he disappeared from her sight.

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**A.N. The ending was not supposed to be like that at all when I first started typing it. But when the idea came, I just sort of stuck with it, and the events of the next chapter will be a mystery to us all! (Although I have an idea for Kakashi's reason to kill the land-lord, I'm not sure how it will sit with Akiko!)**

**Please review - I love getting notifications that you guys have followed and favourited this, but I would love some reviews too. So if you have time, type a little comment below :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N. I can't apologise enough for how late this is. I won't bore you with excuses... there's been uni stuff and personal stuff... the joys. **

**I really hope you enjoy this chapter. I have pages of ideas for future chapters and whatnot... which I hope you will all like.**

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The village was beginning to stir as the sun began sneaking out from behind the trees, and Kakashi Hatake had already completed two missions since they were assigned to him last night. They were nothing highly strenuous, but it helped keep his mind occupied on something else.

Today he turned twenty-nine. A birthday, for him, was not a happy day, like many made it out to be when they celebrated. He was another year older, and it only reminded him that the people closest to him were not present to rejoice with him. On that note, however, he wasn't fond of abandoning his training just to revel in the fact he was a year older than last year. There was no time to relax in his younger days when war was always near.

Kakashi drew out a long sigh, and looked towards the training ground behind him. The names of his beloved comrades were engraved so vividly, almost as clear as the memories he kept. It seemed so surreal that it had been years since their deaths, rather than days, as the pain never became less bearable as time went on.

The silver-haired man glanced around and then checked the sun's position. Naruto would be back anytime now, he thought to himself. And as his – former – sensei, it would be expected that he be present to welcome him home.

o-o-o

Naruto was grinning when Kakashi opened his eyes. "A ninja should look underneath the underneath," the blonde chuckled as he held the bell proudly in his hand. Beside him, Sakura also had her arm extended, revealing the second bell. It had to be said that the pair had grown a great deal over the years in many ways. Without a doubt, Kakashi was impressed. It was hard to believe, after this bell test, that they were the same people from three years ago.

After some time, the trio wandered into the town, where Kakashi had promised to treat them to lunch – ramen, of course – and couldn't help but smile to himself as Naruto rambled on about how he might have surpassed his silver-haired sensei. Perhaps they hadn't grown up as much as Kakashi guessed. Naruto was as bold as ever.

Before the Ichiraku came into sight, a kunai flew from above, deliberately missing Kakashi in order to get his attention. The silver-haired Jounin was quick, and managed to catch the weapon by the handle after revealing his Sharingan eye. However, a figure suddenly appeared from behind him, and pressed the kunai to the man's neck… which soon turned to wood upon contact as the Jounin used the substitution jutsu to escape. The figure spun around and thrust their hand away from their chest, sending a torrent of water from the puddles on the ground straight at Kakashi, who had reappeared atop one of the buildings.

The person's reaction to the substitution was quick – it was clear that they were no ANBU imposter – but Kakashi was just slightly quicker and countered with his Lightning Blade, which cut through the surge with ease. It was evident the person wasn't expecting such speed, as the attack landed squarely in the gut (although the armour prevented any fatal damage). The person was thrown back, and crashed into the ground.

Sakura and Naruto gasped and kept back, completely frozen from shock at this sudden attack. The high level of skill was evident, as the person got back to their feet and formed another hand-sign. Kakashi immediately recognised it as another water-style technique and immediately disappeared – onto to reappear from under the ground beneath the ANBU member, who disappeared into a cloud of smoke. A clone, Kakashi grumbled and turned to see another mass of water surge towards him.

It surprised him that such a skilled shinobi would go for the same attack and quickly went to retaliate, however found the ground in which he was in had turned soft and sticky, and clung onto him with no intention of freeing him. Kakashi swore, realising that the previous attack was just an attempt to allow the ground to soften and trap him. This person really had a desire to end him.

Naruto darted forwards, creating a clone before forming a perfect Rasengan. The ANBU's attack shattered like glass, and created a sort of mist as the water droplets were sent in all sorts of directions, forming a sort of veil over the entire street.

The pink-haired kunoichi then responded by focusing chakra to her hand and pounded the ground, with such a force that large chunks of earth propelled up into the air, and bombarded into the attacker. The body was sent flying, allowing Kakashi enough time to escape and hurl a handful of weapons from his pouch towards them whilst they were defenceless. Finally, the enemy fell to the ground, and their mask smashed to pieces beside them.

Kakashi was stunned when he finally had a moment to take in the enemy's appearance. A mess of strikingly vibrant hair fell over the female's face as her limp body sprawled out across the path. Her frame was delicate and had no particular shape to it, giving her the appearance of a girl much younger than she actually was. Yet, she was as fierce in battle as a man twice her size.

Calmly, the Jounin walked over to the woman and knelt down beside her. A wave of conflicting thoughts washed over him as he asked himself how she managed to acquire this outfit. With a single finger, he pushed away some hair that was draped over her shoulder and, as clear as day, there was a tattoo drawn expertly on her arm which confirmed her rank… as well as the fact that she had been a member of this organisation for some years now as suggested by the fact it wasn't a new addition.

_Impossible_, Kakashi thought to himself as he stared at the body of a woman that had been missing for twenty years. For twenty years, this person – who couldn't even graduate the _academy_ – had been advancing the ranks in secret, unbeknown to nearly everybody, and made it to ANBU. This was beyond surreal. This was surely some sort of practical joke. This woman surely could not be the little girl from his past. On top of that, how could the Hokage not have informed him after the assassination?

And then suddenly, everything became clear – her motive for striving for success; her motive for attacking him; her motive for everything.

Finally, the man exhaled, only just then realising that he'd been holding his breath. The memories of that night, twenty years ago, were painfully sharp and precise. He could again smell the stench of burned flesh as his Lightning Blade ripped through the man's body, crushing bones and charring innards. The way his hand so easily drove into the land-lord's abdomen replayed itself in his head, and finally those hoarse, frantic, pleading cries as she urgently tried to shake life into the man in front of her young eyes.

Both Naruto and Sakura watched in silence, not sure what to do as their sensei simply sat beside the body doing nothing himself – not even ordering them to inform the Hokage! Naruto went to say something, but Sakura tapped him, wordlessly telling the genin not to interfere. Obviously there was something that they were missing here, and Sakura didn't want to poke her nose into something that was clearly bothering their sensei.

Finally, Kakashi moved and the pair watched as he carefully scooped the smaller woman in his arms and stood up. Her face and body were covered in cuts, and the blood was soaking her attire. The sensei inhaled lightly through his nose and gasped slightly. His senses were not welcomed with a subtle scent of perfumed shampoo, but instead attacked by the unpleasant smell of intoxicating, powerful alcohol.

"You two eat without me. I'm going to take her to the hospital." Kakashi's voice seemed almost detached from his body – like it wasn't him speaking. His entire posture was tense, and it was noticeable that he was feeling a mixture of sadness and bewilderment right now, although neither Naruto nor Sakura dared to ask why – or question why he was helping a woman who moments ago intended on killing him.

As Kakashi walked down the street, his gaze dropped back down to the woman in his arms. He didn't remember much of Akiko as a child, other than the fact that she was loved by the entire village for being so cheerful, so optimistic and so hopeful. She was easy to like, and made friends with practically everyone without even trying. They all seemed to know her as "Konoha's Precious Firefly".

Looking back, he could see why. Akiko was the definition of passion and inspiration. Even though her efforts never seemed to get her anywhere significant, she never lost hope and that was what motivated students, shinobi and civilians alike to pursue their own goals.

War was also on the horizon, and the atmosphere was tense with worried villagers – yet, her endless, childlike energy and determination was shared with everybody, giving them the power to focus on the future. She was a beacon of light for the village. She guided them towards a brighter tomorrow.

With those thoughts, Kakashi paused outside the hospital, finding himself frozen on the spot. If he admitted her to the hospital, he knew it would only be a matter of time before word got around about how she got in this state. And he knew if the Hokage knew of the events, Akiko's career would be over in an instant – no questions asked. Despite everything, Kakashi simply couldn't bring himself to do that to her. Because of his actions in the past, Akiko had lost the last of her family, and now she was at risk of losing her livelihood.

He simply couldn't bring himself to do it to her again.

With that thought fresh in his mind, Kakashi turned on his heel and headed towards his apartment. It surprised him that he felt no resentment towards the crimson-haired woman in his arms. In fact, he couldn't help but feel pity towards her as he watched her unmoving body in his arms, noticing dark rings under her eyes from a mixture of sleepless nights and crying.

Just moments ago, she appeared to be in control and so sure of herself. But now, he could see just how that was a disguise to hide her vulnerability. By no means was Akiko fragile or weak, but she also wasn't a fighter – or a killer – and so Kakashi couldn't help but feel concerned for her well-being, with the knowledge that she was a member of the Black Ops. It was a harrowing, distressing and truly traumatic lifestyle to lead, and not a role that you could simply hang up at the end of a long day before kicking your feet up. It was a "round-the-clock" job that you couldn't take a break from. If you weren't taking on missions, your mind would always be ticking, unable to shake away the memories of the lives you ripped from this world.

However, it _was_ possible to detach yourself from those stomach-turning missions. It _was_ possible to lose one's sense of humanity. But once you truly reach that point, it was arguably impossible to turn back. It wasn't the life Kakashi wanted to lead for the rest of his years, and he was thankful to get out when he did, before it was too late.

With the liquor still smelling strong, the idea of her salvation was beginning to seem far-fetched, but – Kakashi hoped – not impossible.

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**Please leave a review, and tell me what you honestly think. A couple of reviews and I'll update this story :)**


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